Tool for testing well head equipment



Sept. 6, 1960 J. A. DloDENE TOOL FOR TESTING WELL HEAO EQUIPMENT I Filed Sept. 20, 1957 R. L O e N m n o e 3 3 W d 4 Y A 4 7 N .w T G P s 1 D A IL/1 A E. T J

United States Patent 2,951,363 TOOL FOR TESTING WELL HEAD EQUIPMENT .lohn A. Diodene, Gretna, La., assignor, by mesne assignments, to Jersey Production Research Company, Tulsa, Okla., a corporation of Delaware Filed Sept. 20, 1957, Ser. No. 685,169

3 Claims. (Cl. 73'40.5)

The present invention is directed to a tool for testing well equipment. More particularly, the invention is con cerned with a device for testing well head equipment. In its more specific aspects, the invention is concerned with a tool for testing blowout preventers, packing and anges, and the like, on a well head.

The present invention may be briefly described as a tool for testing blowout preventers, packing, flanges, and the like, on a well head in which a casing is supported in the 4well head by hanger means. The tool comprises a tubular mandrel having a passageway therethrough and being of a length suiicient to extend and terminate at a point just below the hanger means. The mandrel carries a packing member which is adapted to form a seal with the interior wall of the casing on imposition of pressure above the packing member. Spaced apart from the packing member and carried by the mandrel is a stop member which serves to position the packing member in the casing opposite the hanger member. The stop member is provided with at least one passageway therethrough to allow equilization of pressure above and below the stop member. The stop member has a downwardly tapering under surface for supporting the mandrel in the well head above the hanger member. The mandrel is provided with means on its upper end for detachably connecting the mandrel to a drill pipe for placing the mandrel in the well head. Y

The packing means is suitably a packing cup, an O-ring seal, or any suitable packing element -which may be suitably attached to the mandrel. For example, the packing member may be a pressure deformable member. The present invention allows blowout equipment, flanges, joints and packing elements in a well to be tested while performing drilling operations or remedial Work on an oil or gas well, and the like. The present invention allows all well head equipment exposed to well pressure to be tested at rated Working pressure without exposing the casing to the high test pressures. For example, if the casing might rupture at the high test pressures, the present invention allows the well head equipment to be tested without imposition of such pressures on the casing.

The present invention will be further illustrated by reference to the drawing in which:

Fig. 1 is a sectional view of a preferred embodiment;

Fig. 2 is a partial sectional view showing the apparatus in place on a well head; `and Fig. 3 is a partial sectional view of a modification of the embodiments of Figs. 1 and 2.

Referring now to the drawing, in which identical numerals will be employed to designate identical parts, numeral 11 designates a mandrel having a threaded surface 12. Attached to the threaded surface 12 is a packing member generally designated by the numeral 13 and comprised of a deformable packing cup 14 which is suitably constructed of either natur-al or synthetic rubber, and the like. It may be preferred to use an oil-resistant synthetic rubber. The packing cup 14 is suitably held on the mandrel 11 by means of a washer 15 which is icc held in place by a nut 16 threaded on the surface 12. A washer 17 and a nut 1S, also threaded on the surface 12, hold the packing cup 14 on the surface 12.

,Arranged on and spaced apart from the packing member 13 on the mandrel 11 is a stop member 19 provided with a plurality of pressure equalizing passageways 20. The stop member 19 has a tapered surface 21 which allows the stop member 19 to be seated on a tapered hanger seat or on a bit guide of a casing head section below the blowout preventers.

The upper end of the mandrel 11 is provided with internal threads 22 in the form of a tool joint to engage threadedly with the external threads of a drill pipe. The stop member 19 and the packing member 13 are so positioned on the mandrel 12 that the distance from the upper surface of the stop member 19 to the upper surface of the packing cup 14 is such that the packing member 13 is positioned in the casing opposite the slip segments supporting the casing or the hanger means for the casing.

The tubular mandrel 11 is provided with a passageway 23 extending therethrough to allow fluid to pass freely through the mandrel 11.

Referring now to Fig. 2, the device of the present invention, including the mandrel 11, the stop member 19 and the packing member 13, is connected by the detachable connecting means or threads 22 to the lower end of a drill pipe 25 arranged in the well head generally indicated by the numeral 26 and comprised of sections A and B. The well head 26 is provided With a casing hanger 27 which suitably is provided with tapered surface 28 which engages with the tapered surface 29 of the well head 26. The casing 30 may be attached to the casing hanger 2'7 by threaded connections 31. Hanger 27 is also provided with packing or sealing means 27a to effect a seal between hanger 27 and well head section A.

The well head 26 is provided with flanges 32 and 33 which suitably bolt together sections A and B and are provided with 'a packing means 34 to provide a seal therebetween. It is to be noted that the upper section 35 of casing hanger 27 is of reduced diameter and is received in a -bore 36 of flange 33 with sealing rings 37 providing a seal therebetween. Arranged above the bore 36 and nesting within an inset shoulder 39 is an annular seating member 40 on which the stop Vmember 19 is received and seats.

The Awell head 26 is also provided with flanges 41 and 42, which are sealed together by a packing means 43. Connecting into the well head equipment 26 below the blowout preventer 44 is a conduit 45 controlled by valve 46 which connects to a source of iluid under pressure lfor testing the well head equipment 26. The tluid under pressure may either be a liquid or a gas. Conduit 45 may serve also as a ow line as desired or necessary.

A ow line 47 controlled by a valve 48 provides iluid communication to and from the annular space between casing 30 and section A.

Above the blowout preventer 44 are anges 49 and 50 which are sealed together by sealing means, not shown, and arranged above the ange 50 are the second blowout preventers 51.

With reference to Fig. 3, identical parts to Figs. 1 and 2 will be designated by identical numerals and a detailed description will be given only of the modified parts. In Fig. 3, the casing hanger 27 and the threaded connection 31 have been replaced by casing hanger 55 provided with slip segments 56. Casing hanger 55 is provided with packing or seals 57 `and S8 with packing 57 providing a seal between the hanger 55 and section A of well head 26 and packing 58 providing a seal between the casing 30 and hanger 55. The hanger 55 is Iformed to receive a ring 59 threadedlyconnected to the section A. The inner surface 60 of the hanger 55 has an inward taper to receive slips'S .which grippingly engage with the casing 30 and serve to make a connection similar to threaded connections 31 of Fig. 2.

In the embodiment of Fig. 2, it is to be noted that the packing member 13 is positionedvopposite' Lorladjacentlthe hangerv 27 by virtue of the stop member19 beingarranged just above the hanger` 27 and belowtheblowot pre- Venter i4 by adjusting nuts 16 and 18.V "Whenit isd'esired to test the blowout preventers and well`headlequipment, uid under pressure will be admitted throughline 45 controlled by valve 46 into the space5'3, whichwill cause the pressure to be exerted l'on the blowout'preventers 44v and 51 and against .the seals 43,` 34, and the Vsealnot'shown between the flanges 49 and-5t) andk packingiseals'ST-and 27a. Of'course, it is realized that Vramslinblow'outpre- Venter S1 -are closed and seal around the 'drill pipel. Should any leak develop -in the packing member 13, the pressure is released through the passageway 23 and is 'exhaustedabove the blowout preventers 44 and 5l and is not allowed to be exerted on the'well casing 30.

It is to be noted that the tapered under surface of the 'stop member 19 provides a means of positioning the tool including the mandrel and the packer at a selected point such that the packer is positioned-in the casing opposite the threaded-connection 31 supporting Vthe casing, which allows the load to be carried by the well head `and without imposing pressure other than at a supported point.

The tapered surface 21 of the stop member 19 may be the same as the taper of the interior surface of the well head in which the stop member 19 is designed to seat. However, it is not necessary that the tapered surface 21 be the same as that of the seat which holds the stop member and positions the packing member 13.

The embodiment of Fig. 3 is-used similarly to that of Figs. l and 2. In this particular instance, however, imposition of pressure through pipe or conduit 45 controlled by valve 46 serves also to test the packings 57and 58 and to force hanger 55 and slip segments 56 in sealing and lgripping engagement with the section A of -wel1 head 26 and casing 30. Otherwise, the testing procedures are similar.

The present invention is of considerable advantage and `utility in testing well head equipment in that by virtue of the stop member, only one tool is required for testing any size of casing regardless of the type or make of the casing nest. -The blowout preventer equipment, and thelike, may 4be tested at Working pressures, `and the casing packoit equipment may also be tested at the working pressure of the blowout preventers without imposition of pressure 4 on the casing. Furthermore, in the event 'that the tool of the present inventionshould.1eak,pressure on .the casing or the open hole is released through the open bore in the tool and drill pipe to above y the tool. This is quite advantageous and useful in that excessive pressures are not exerted on the casing.

The present inventionis -of'considerable advantage and utility in testing well head equipment.

The nature andi objects of'the presentlinven'tion having been completely described and illustrated what I wish to claim'as new and useful and -secureby Letters Patent is:

1. A tool for testing blowout preventers, packing and flanges, and the like, on a Wellvhead having a casing supported therein byahanger means which consists of, in combination, a vtubular mandrel having a passageway therethrough and of a'length suiicient to extend and terminate at a point justbelow the hanger means, a vertically adjustable packing member carried by and threadedlyfv mountedon said vmandrelfand adapted to form a seal with' the'interior Vwallfof the casing on imposition of pressure above thepacking member; a stop member lxedly carried by 'said mandrel -ab'ove saidpacking member and spaced apart therefroma -suilicient distance and adapted to seat in said well head to positiony said packing member insaid casing opposite said hangerzfmemben saidstop member Ibeing provided with atleast `one passageway :therethrough forfequalizing -pressure'inf said welly head kabove andfbelow'said stop member, and said stop member having a downwardly tapering under surface for supporting said mandrel iny said lwell head above said'hanger member, saidmandrel being providedwith means on its upperend for detachablyvconnecting the mandrell to a kdrill pipe vforvplacingsaid tool in said well head, said vertically adjustable'packing'member beingadapted to vary thedistance between the -stop member and the 'packing member.

2. EA tool in accordance lwith claim 1in Awhich the packing member isV a packing cup.

3. :A` tool in accordance with claim l in which the'packing member apressure; deformable: member.

' References Cited inthe le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,812,943 Granger Illly 7,v 1931 2,067,499 MillrnineV Ian. 12, 1937 2,478,628 Hansen Aug. 9, 1949 2,540,322 Christensen. Feb. 6, 1951 

